'ello me lurvers!
(cautious use of devon accent)
Well here I am in my university town. It always feels like coming home. Its funny, and I don't know if its the same for everyone but my time at Exeter studying drama has such significance in my life that's its hard to believe it was only three years. Coming back here as I do most years to visit Peter and Dorinda returns me immediately to the excited and naive 18 year old girl who arrived on the chartered train from Paddington to begin the adventure she had been waiting for!
Whilst the Drama department had been established for some time, the late seventies saw the introduction of the single honours degree and that was where I was heading as one of the first cohorts.
After an afternoon of catching up Dorinda and I walked into town and explored some of the many charity shops in search of curtains for my daughter's new flat. And with some success!
After a light supper we jumped in the car and Peter drove us up to the Northcott Theatre to see a performance of Curiosity Shop created by Theatre Alibi. This was a lovely surprise as I haven't seen their work for some years now. Alibi is another company like our own spawned from the Exeter allumni and originally set up by my friends Ali Hodge and Tim Spicer.
The company has gone from strength to strength under the long term artistic leadership of Nikki Sved and is highly respected in the industry as fresh, intelligent and innovative. Dorinda is their artistic consultant.
This piece is a new adaptation of the Dickens novel, Charles Dickens’ Old Curiosity Shop revisited adapted by Daniel Jamieson
'Nell Trent lives with her grandfather above the Curiosity Shop, a vintage record store.When the shop is repossessed by Quilp, a malignant loan shark, Nell and Grandpa are forced to hit the road. Living rough they meet the usual suspects – con-men, Good Samaritans, wide boys and buskers – on the street, at a festival, in pubs and burger bars - in cities and villages across England.
Translated from Victorian times to the present day, Dickens’ story of love, human frailty and downright wickedness has a fabulous cast of characters, from bent lawyer Sally Brass to wide boy rapper Dick E. Swiveller. Playfully staged and incorporating film and a soundtrack that takes in hits from Elvis Presley to Professor Green, Curiosity Shop shows England to be as much a cultural curiosity shop as it ever was in Dickens’ day…'
Walking into the familiar auditorium (460 seats), I was immediately struck by Trina Bramman's set which was to transport us to a different landscape with a very particular flavour. The use of projection was the best I have seen, integrated into the fabric and quality of the bold created environment.
Nikki's direction of this piece is at times breathtaking but always conscious and precise. It has the hand of an assured and mature master of the art. She is not afraid to play with the audience. Imagery tumbles and transforms with fluidity and delight.
Oxford Playhouse
19 - 23 March
Tues – Thu at 7.30pm, Fri at 8pm, Sat at 7.30pm
Matinees on Thu & Sat at 2.30pm
£9.50 - £25.00
01865 305305 or www.oxfordplayhouse.co.uk
Nuffield Theatre Southampton
26-28 & 30 March at 7.30pm
Matinee Sat at 3pm
£10.50 - £19
023 80671771 or www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk
Key Theatre Peterborough
3-6 April at 7.30pm
Matinees on Thu and Sat at 2.30pm
£8.50 - £16
01733 207239 or www.vivacity-peterborough.com/venues/key-theatre
Lawrence Batley Theatre Huddersfield
11 – 13 April at 7.30pm
Matinee Sat at 2.15pm
£12 - £16
01484 430528 or www.thelbt.org
The Haymarket Basingstoke
24-27 April at 7.30pm
Matinees Thu & Sat at 2pm
£10-£21
01256 844244 or http://www.theatresonline.com/theatres/basingstoke-theatres/haymarket-theatre/
Well here I am in my university town. It always feels like coming home. Its funny, and I don't know if its the same for everyone but my time at Exeter studying drama has such significance in my life that's its hard to believe it was only three years. Coming back here as I do most years to visit Peter and Dorinda returns me immediately to the excited and naive 18 year old girl who arrived on the chartered train from Paddington to begin the adventure she had been waiting for!
Whilst the Drama department had been established for some time, the late seventies saw the introduction of the single honours degree and that was where I was heading as one of the first cohorts.
The Exeter single honours drama course was something that sadly no university could afford to offer now. With only 16 in my group and a minimum of 30 hours taught classes a week we got the very best of a vibrant, excited, experimental and young teaching staff which included my friend Dorinda. She, John Rudlin and Peter Thomson had a shared passion and vision for theatre and had set up the course themselves. That would be a tricky thing to achieve these days.
With a blank canvas to start with, these guys designed a course that was idiosyncratic and unusually for a university course entirely practice led. It was a one off hybrid, a practical drama training through an academic lens. I realise now just what a rare thing this was. Indeed the theatre practitioners and luminaries that I learnt from and about during those three years form the foundations of my work.
With a blank canvas to start with, these guys designed a course that was idiosyncratic and unusually for a university course entirely practice led. It was a one off hybrid, a practical drama training through an academic lens. I realise now just what a rare thing this was. Indeed the theatre practitioners and luminaries that I learnt from and about during those three years form the foundations of my work.
The late seventies into early eighties was a time when experimenting was encouraged, and once again I found myself at 'home' for the first time since I had been to primary school. This was a tribe and I belonged to it.
So whenever I retrace my early steps I experience a renewal of sorts, an infusion of the past, a rush of the present and a faint whiff of the future - pretty intoxicating really.
After an afternoon of catching up Dorinda and I walked into town and explored some of the many charity shops in search of curtains for my daughter's new flat. And with some success!After a light supper we jumped in the car and Peter drove us up to the Northcott Theatre to see a performance of Curiosity Shop created by Theatre Alibi. This was a lovely surprise as I haven't seen their work for some years now. Alibi is another company like our own spawned from the Exeter allumni and originally set up by my friends Ali Hodge and Tim Spicer.
The company has gone from strength to strength under the long term artistic leadership of Nikki Sved and is highly respected in the industry as fresh, intelligent and innovative. Dorinda is their artistic consultant.
This piece is a new adaptation of the Dickens novel, Charles Dickens’ Old Curiosity Shop revisited adapted by Daniel Jamieson'Nell Trent lives with her grandfather above the Curiosity Shop, a vintage record store.When the shop is repossessed by Quilp, a malignant loan shark, Nell and Grandpa are forced to hit the road. Living rough they meet the usual suspects – con-men, Good Samaritans, wide boys and buskers – on the street, at a festival, in pubs and burger bars - in cities and villages across England.
Translated from Victorian times to the present day, Dickens’ story of love, human frailty and downright wickedness has a fabulous cast of characters, from bent lawyer Sally Brass to wide boy rapper Dick E. Swiveller. Playfully staged and incorporating film and a soundtrack that takes in hits from Elvis Presley to Professor Green, Curiosity Shop shows England to be as much a cultural curiosity shop as it ever was in Dickens’ day…'
From the Alibi website at http://www.theatrealibi.co.uk/curiosityshop.php
Walking into the familiar auditorium (460 seats), I was immediately struck by Trina Bramman's set which was to transport us to a different landscape with a very particular flavour. The use of projection was the best I have seen, integrated into the fabric and quality of the bold created environment.
The adaptation of the Dickens novel brings a fresh and contemporary feel to the story whilst retaining the universal themes at its centre, poverty, opportunism, the demons of loss and addicition, the corruption of money and control. All good healthy and familiar themes translated into the story of the chaos and challenges our contemporary young people have to face. As you can imagine a story close to my heart and to our work at Arc.
Nikki's direction of this piece is at times breathtaking but always conscious and precise. It has the hand of an assured and mature master of the art. She is not afraid to play with the audience. Imagery tumbles and transforms with fluidity and delight.
The cast is clearly working as an ensemble
Sarah Kameela Impey is a convincing and physical Nell and I particularly enjoyed the cameo role of Klara Von Jarlesberg played by Jordan Whyte. Christian Flint shows a range and flexibility in taking on the challenge of Grandpa and Mr Exe. Malcolm Hamilton, Derek Frood, Richard Holt and Cerianne Roberts travel their audience to the worlds of their various characters with fluidity and ease, and I never found myself leaving the auditorium. The connections were rarely dropped and the quality of the storytelling reminded me a little of the early work of Shared Experience.
The soundscape and choice of music and songs by composer Thomas Johnson is inspired and its great to see the work of Duncan Chave again as sound designer. Duncan and I have worked together on shows before and his work has developed wonderfully over the years.
The soundscape and choice of music and songs by composer Thomas Johnson is inspired and its great to see the work of Duncan Chave again as sound designer. Duncan and I have worked together on shows before and his work has developed wonderfully over the years.
What I most loved about this production was the uncompromising invitation to step inside this world, saturated with corruption pain and humour. Daniel Jamieson's adaptation is assured and at times inspired, and whilst carrying a freshness of its own honours and reveals the Dickens in a way which must only touch its audience in an authentic way. I am particularly interested to hear how young people respond to the show as it goes out on its national tour to theatres. If its a theatre near you I highly recommend a visit, see the tour schedule below.
So a great evening with Dorinda and looking forward to more catch up today.
Have a great Sunday.
Curiosity Shop National Tour.
Oxford Playhouse
19 - 23 March
Tues – Thu at 7.30pm, Fri at 8pm, Sat at 7.30pm
Matinees on Thu & Sat at 2.30pm
£9.50 - £25.00
01865 305305 or www.oxfordplayhouse.co.uk
Nuffield Theatre Southampton
26-28 & 30 March at 7.30pm
Matinee Sat at 3pm
£10.50 - £19
023 80671771 or www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk
Key Theatre Peterborough
3-6 April at 7.30pm
Matinees on Thu and Sat at 2.30pm
£8.50 - £16
01733 207239 or www.vivacity-peterborough.com/venues/key-theatre
Lawrence Batley Theatre Huddersfield
11 – 13 April at 7.30pm
Matinee Sat at 2.15pm
£12 - £16
01484 430528 or www.thelbt.org
The Haymarket Basingstoke
24-27 April at 7.30pm
Matinees Thu & Sat at 2pm
£10-£21
01256 844244 or http://www.theatresonline.com/theatres/basingstoke-theatres/haymarket-theatre/
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